An epidural is a fine, flexible tube placed in the back near the nerves coming from the spinal cord, through which pain-killing drugs can be given to give pain relief.
It is used during surgery (usually in addition to a general anaesthetic), after the operation for pain control, or both.
Local anaesthetic, and sometimes other pain-relieving drugs, are put through the epidural catheter. This lies close to the nerves in your back. As a result, the nerve messages are blocked. This gives you pain relief, which varies in extent according to the amount and type of drug given. The local anaesthetic may cause some numbness and weakness as well as pain relief.
An epidural pump is used to give pain-relieving drugs continuously through the epidural catheter. Some epidural pumps also have a push button for you to press to deliver your own pain relief. These pumps have safety limits programmed in to reduce the chance of you giving yourself too much drug.
The pain relief lasts as long as the pump is running. When it is stopped, full feeling will return within a few hours.
Please note, the NHS Lothian epidural anaesthesia page is still in progess. In the meantime we encourage you to read the excellent Royal College of Anaesthetists patient information leaflet
PLEASE NOTE
This website includes content taken from the Royal College of Anaesthetists’ (RCoA) leaflets ‘Fitter, Better, Sooner (2018)’, ‘You and your anaesthetic (2020)’, ‘Anaesthesia explained (2015)’, and ‘Common events and risks in anaesthesia(2019)’. However, The RCoA has not reviewed the website as a whole. Some of the RCoA infographics used on the website have been adapted for web viewing.
